Another excellent Penguin 60. I have never read any work of Dick Francis and this little book is an excellent taster. The first chapter of 'Dead Cert', a murder mystery set at Maidenhead racecourse, made me want to read the whole story - to buy the paperback or see if the book was in the local library. The other tale in this book is a short story and I am glad I set aside the time to read it in one go. The Gift is set at the Kentucky Derby and the tale of a journalist no longer at his best - what an excellent story it is, beautifully written, a clever twist, and I was able to have in my mind my favourite film genre - a film noir, complete with the classic American narrator. Brilliant a story and entertaining. ( )